The present invention relates to an inlaid tile in which filled colored polymeric chips are uniformly dispersed throughout a filled thermoplastic mass which may be of a different color. The chips remain discrete during high temperature processing in an intensive mixer such as a Banbury mixer or mixing mill. By the invention, an inlaid tile is produced with decorative plastic chips which are dispersed throughout a thermoplastic base so that the chips remain discrete and non-smearing and do not elongate during processing.
Previous compositions having chips contained within a thermoplastic base material are described, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,787,280 to Conger et al.; 3,966,857 to Charlton et al; and 4,501,783 to Hiragami et al.
By the present invention, there is provided an improved inlaid floor tile in which colored chips are formulated with polymers, stabilizers, fillers, cross linking agents and pigments which differ from the thermoplastic base. The base is produced with polymers, stabilizers, fillers, processing aids, pigments and internal lubricants or fillers coated with lubricants. The lubricants are used in the thermoplastic base to reduce processing temperatures in the intensive mixer so that the decorative chips remain discrete particles and do not flow during processing.